Virginia Johnson

Virginia Johnson (born 1950) is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and journalist.

She retired in 2023 as the artistic director of Dance Theatre of Harlem, having been a founding member and principal dancer of the company.

She graduated from the school in 1968.

Johnson moved to New York City and enrolled as a dance major at New York University.

While a student there, she took a class with Arthur Mitchell and was invited to help start a ballet company with him.

She became a founding member of Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969 and was promoted to the rank of principal dancer.

She danced lead roles in Agon, A Streetcar Named Desire, Creole Giselle, Concerto Barocco, Allegro Brillante, Fall River Legend, Swan Lake, Les Biches, and Glen Tetley's Voluntaries.

After a twenty-eight year career with the company, Johnson stepped down and enrolled as a communications student at Fordham University.

From 2000 to 2009 she was the editor-in-chief of Pointe.

Johnson was born and raised in Washington, D.C. She began training in classical ballet at the age of three under Therrell Smith, a friend of her mother's who had trained under Mathilde Kschessinska.

When she was thirteen years old she was accepted as a scholarship student at The Washington School of Ballet, where she trained under Mary Day and was the only African-American student.

She was later hired as the inaugural editor-in-chief of Pointe Magazine and served in that capacity from 2000 until 2009.

Johnson then rejoined the Dance Theatre of Harlem as its artistic director.

Johnson retired in 2023.